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HRA 701 CASE STUDY WINTER 2021 Your assignment should be 7-8 pages, double-spaced, APA format

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HRA 701
CASE STUDY

WINTER 2021

Your assignment should be 7-8 pages, double-spaced, APA format. The 7-8 pages should not include the cover page, reference page, or the appendix. The assignment should be structured as follows:

• Description of each HR issue (stating why it is an issue for this organization).
• Recommendations for each of the issues identified.
•  A reference page that includes the textbook (appropriate references to the chapters used from the textbook), my PowerPoint slides, and scholarly references (at least five).

Access to the HRA701 textbook on cengage.ca, email: stmohan@myseneca.ca, password: Sakshi00

Spider Web Inc.

Spider Web, a telecommunications company founded in 2008, has posted rapid growth in recent months following the launch of a new smart phone based on leading-edge interactive technology.

Spider Web has a total workforce of 150 people, most of whom belong to Generation Y. The organization's head office in Montreal is staffed by 50 employees, while a new plant in the Vancouver suburbs employs 100 people in production and distribution. The company is financially sound and plans to double its workforce over the next two years through developing the American and world markets.

Spider Web is strongly influenced by the entrepreneurial management style of its two founders. Still active in the organization, they are responsible in particular for the HR function. To support the firm’s anticipated growth, they have decided to create a new position of HR director. After a rigorous selection process, you have been hired to fill this position and are to be in charge of HR at SpiderWeb’s two locations.

At your first meetings with the Executive Committee, composed of the founders and four key managers from Montreal and Vancouver (the finance director, R&D director, operations director, and CEO of the Vancouver plant), you realize that they are fairly apprehensive and uninformed about the new HR function and its strategic dimension, which is of some concern to you.

Findings

A few days after joining the company, you hold a number of meetings with managers and employees from both sites. Your initial findings are striking:

- At first glance, the employees generally seem to be motivated and happy to work for SpiderWeb, particularly since the launch of the new smart phone, which everyone is proud of;

- The company has no HR management policy;

 _ Its senior managers are assigned their duties and the management of major projects on an arbitrary basis;

_ This is the first management experience for most of the company’s managers;

- up to now, supply and demand have served as a guideline for compensation, which is inconsistent and inequitable. This practice is not unanimously approved of and is a source of discontent among employees and executives alike.

Many managers confided that they would like to see the company move forward and institute a new and equitable compensation policy. The Executive Committee also informed you that recruitment is the main HR issue. The scarcity of talent in cutting- edge technology and the low level of awareness of the employer brand, given that the company was established only a few years ago, add to the challenges you face.

You also note several issues that are specific to the Vancouver plant. Its CEO, whose responsibilities include HR management, is the brother of one of the founders.

However, he lacks the relevant training and experience to fulfill this function. Many of the plant's employees have spoken to you about his lack of organization and management skills. Nonetheless, the two founders would like to see him continue these duties and want you to assist him in his professional development.

After a brief analysis of the key HR indicators, you realize that there are some serious problems at the Vancouver plant:

• turnover is far too high when compared to the industry average;
• there are numerous disability cases;
• Absenteeism is high.

As well, you heard employees at the plant's distribution Centre discussing a proposal to apply for union certification. You talked this over with the plant manager, who doesn't seem to be worried or interested in the matter. In his view, the workers in question are mainly isolated cases, troublemakers that he plans to take care of. He believes that engagement levels among most of the plant's employees are high.

When you return to Montreal, you hear a rumour about the strategic R&D team. Apparently its members fail to comply with the guidelines respecting the protection of intellectual property and lack the sense of professional ethics their role requires. You also hear that some of them have met with competitors outside the workplace.

Lastly, despite the considerable respect the employees have for the founders, several more experienced executives shared their concern about the founders’ lack of medium- and long-term vision and planning. Moreover, the founders themselves are the first to admit that they've never really taken the time to think about the priorities and strategic directions that would ensure the company’s survival. They realize that this situation should be remedied as soon as possible and admit that they have focused exclusively on the company’s growth from the start.